


Unlaced Skates

by r0pliix



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith and Shiro are Siblings, Keith/Shiro and the Holts are neighbors, M/M, Minor Allura/Shiro (Voltron), matt holt mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-13 13:04:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11185698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r0pliix/pseuds/r0pliix
Summary: “Oh SHIT, Pidge hide me,” he wheezed as he pulled Pidge in front of himself.“Wh-? Keith! You better watch your damn mouth!  And honestly, what will I hide? Your legs? What’s so important that you had to-,” she scanned the crowd in the general direction that Keith was staring, “ohhh…looks like Keith-y’s got the hots for skater boy over there.”“Pidge I do NOT, shhhhUT UP,” he felt his face heat up, praying that Pidge didn't notice.“Is this why you wanted to learn how to skate so badly? To impress the boy?”“Yes,” he quietly grumbled out, “but look! He’s already talking with another guy, I can’t just step in there and say, hey, pretty boy, let’s be friends!”-or: Pidge can't go to the local youth pride group's party that night without a friend or supervisor. Keith wasn't planning on being Pidge's supervisor, that is until he sees a cute boy sporting a pair of nifty skates at the parade. Hoping to see this boy again, he calls Pidge and asks her if she can teach him how to skate if he agrees to go to the party. Keith wonders if this deal was really worth it.





	1. A Few Notes

**Author's Note:**

> The major Klance moments don't really happen until chapter 4 (3 after the notes chapter), but from chapter 1(first after the notes chapter), Keith shows interest in Lance. They just don't meet officially until 3. I hope it's okay that there's a little story buildup before they meet.

  * This fic contains the following headcanons: homoromantic-ace transgirl Pidge, bisexual Lance, gay Keith, broganes, and bisexual panromantic Hunk. The only mention of this beautiful trans kiddo Pidge actually being trans is the fact that she has trans flags somewhere on her outfit, but otherwise, it’s not explicitly touched on bc I don’t want to misrepresent the trans community bc I myself am not trans??? I hope that’s okay.


  * The main ship is Klance, some itty bitty baby hints of Shallura but they’re super low-key and can be read as platonic bUT THE MAIN SHIP IS **KLANCE**


  * Brotps mentioned are but aren't limited to: basically, anything that isn’t Klance so please don’t read these as romantic I really don’t want to get attacked for shipping something that I don’t necessarily ship yOINKS.
    * Especially the brogane stuff _**PLEASE**_ **don’t read that as Sheith** bc I kind of wrote their relationship like they have in canon but also how my relationship is with my younger sister so??? Thanks :)


  * I’m reading the characters as the teenagers that they are (Keith/Lance/Hunk as 16-18 and Pidge as 14), save for the adult coded characters i.e. Shiro and Allura and I mean Matt kind of. Therefore!! There might be steamy situations between K/L (??? kissing tbh) but nothing terribly NSFW, so um, underwear stays on!!
      * **No penetrative sex** is the point here, so dicks are put away 


  * There’s a legit story??? It’s not all “ohhHHHHhhhHH I'm pINING !!!” and “ohOHohoHOhoh I’m GAY and FLUFFY!!”
    * On that note, remember those charts where it’s like a straight line, then goes uphill, then slightly downhill, then flat again?? To show the progression of the story ??
      * I used one of those for this damn fic



 

  * **There will be cursing,** there’s not a lot of it but it’s there 


  * My tumblr is under the same URL/username as it is here, [r0pliix](https:/www.tumblr.com/blog/r0pliix/)



Let the mess commence


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic, how fun!! Yikes, I have really bad writing but this was just a silly self-indulgent thing that turned into a multi-chapter work, haha. Updates will be every Monday and/or Wednesday, anytime between 8-10PM EDT :) 
> 
> oh boy this is exciting

Keith had just returned home from the local pride parade--his feet hurt, his phone had low charge, and he had an uncomfortable amount of sweat under his rainbow cape. He was full of hype, but just a little stressed out about having lost Pidge a few times. While Keith had done nothing but laugh and nearly lose his voice, all he really needed was a shower. He had planned to just wear his usual t-shirt and change it up a little in wearing shorts, the only indication that he was gay being his rainbow wristbands. Pidge had insisted that he be a bit more exciting in wearing a big, bright, attention-calling cape. Keith had to agree, he wanted to avoid the “emo” commentary from Pidge at all costs.

Keith wiggled the keys from his pocket; he fumbled to unlock and open the door. As he swung the door open, he jumped at the noise of the television. He didn’t leave the TV on. Keith flung his keys at the figure on the couch and rushed to take his shoe off, ready to fight this person who was taking advantage of his cable.

“Keith, what the hell was that??” a slightly aggravated voice answered from the couch.

“Shiro, why the hell are you home??” a more aggravated Keith responded, trying to one-up his brother.

“Well Keith, you see, there’s this thing called”, Shiro spread his arms out like he was forming a rainbow, “summer vacation.”

“Well Shiro, there’s this thing called TEXTING OR CALLING so I don’t end up MURDERING you when you come home unannounced!! Jesus Christ,” Keith closed and locked the door behind him as he took his shoes off and joined Shiro on the couch. Keith let out a long, drawn out, and dramatic sigh as he slid over and plopped his head on his brother’s shoulder.

Shiro let out a light sigh as he turned to look at Keith, “Having boy troubles again, mister sweaty man?” Keith jolted up, shooting a scowl at Shiro.

“Wh-? Excuse me? What would make you think I’m having ‘boy troubles’”, he made air quotes, “and did you really have to call me mister sweaty man?”

“Okay, one, you’re sweaty and need to shower and change. Two, you just came home from a pride parade, you probably saw cute boys, c’mon, don’t deny it,”

“Shiro--”

“How many pictures did you take in the parade?”

“Twenty-ish, maybe?”

“How many are selfies?”

“Two”

“That leaves eighteen… how many were of the parade and or scenery?”

“Four, but Shiro--”

“ShhhhhHHhHHHHHhh so what were the other fourteen of? Can I see?” Keith hesitantly gave his phone to Shiro to flip through, “ohhh that IS a cute boy! Too bad these are kind of blurry...Why didn’t you talk to him?” He passed the phone back to Keith with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you”, Keith let out a stressed sigh as he swiped his bangs back, “He was on roller skates, so I couldn't've caught up to him if I tried. Not only that, he seemed to be flirting with everyone except me, so clearly I must be ugly or something.”

“Is that…? Jealousy I smell? Look, hon, you want to get this boy’s attention, I get it. Why don’t you go to the youth pride after-party tonight at 7? He might be there. Pidge texted me about it a bit earlier, I already told her that you’d be interested in going.”

“Shiro please tell me why you’re putting words in my mouth and TWO! Why do you have time to text Pidge but not me?”

“Well, I was originally asking Matt if he was still able to bring Taboo to game night with Allura and me tonight--but Pidge had his phone so I guess it worked out.”

Keith grabbed a pillow and groaned into it, he really didn’t want to see this pretty boy again. He nearly passed out from dehydration at the parade; he didn’t want to pass out from embarrassment at the party. And when did Shiro have time to plan a game night? He stood up and sulked to his room, phone tight in his grip. He slipped through the door and sat on the bed, moving to lie on his back.

\--

Keith: Pi dge what the he l l

Pidge ☆: what dif i do this tibe

Pidge ☆: *ddi *tine

Pidge ☆:*** did **time

Pidge ☆: god

Keith: um, you told Shiro about a party?

Keith: And Shiro told you i was going?

Keith: so now i’m going to a party that I didnt know existed

Pidge ☆: ohhhh ya that

Pidge ☆: it’s nbd i mean, i’ll be there

Pidge ☆: i need supervision

Pidge ☆: mattll drop me off @ 6;45 can you make it

Keith: i mean I guess, is 6:50 ok

Keith: do you have roller skates (! failed to send !)

Pidge ☆: yah

Pidge ☆: broseph you better be festive >:00

\--

Keith’s phone died right as he was about to resend the message that had failed to send, one of the most important pieces of this so-called, ‘festive’ outfit that Pidge requested.

“How convenient”, he grumbled as his phone shut off. He left his room, grabbed his charger, his keys from where they were still resting next to Shiro, and raced out the door yelling, “I’m going to the store and I’m not getting anything for you”, Keith slid into the driver’s seat and grimaced. He was still smelly, sticky, and had roughly three hours to pick up the festive pieces of his outfit and get ready. As Keith’s mind buzzed, he pulled his hair up and set out on a mission to find the most low-key pride-related accessories.

Keith pulled into the dollar store lot and stretched, he let out a yawn.

“The dollar store is my lord and savior”.

He unplugged his phone and headed into the store. Keith shuffled through the aisles until he came to the section of cheap plastic beads and noisemakers; he snagged the last rainbow assortment of necklaces and so desperately wanted to check out and leave. Keith was about to exit the aisle, exit the store, go back home, get ready, and have two hours to stress about nothing. He was _so_ ready to take a shower.

As he reached for a bag of purple kazoos for Pidge, Keith felt fingers brush his hand. Slightly frazzled, he looked up to find that same pretty boy’s face that he was trying to avoid for the rest of the day, maybe even the rest of his life. His eyes widened ever so slightly, he could feel the heat rushing to his ears and cheeks. He wanted to spit out a ‘sorry’, or an ‘excuse me’, but all ability to speak was stuck in his gut, which had just dropped to his feet. The pretty boy let out a snicker as he started to speak.

“Well, this is pretty cliché”.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so um this is where the whole, "ya beTTER not read the parts where Shiro and Keith are having heart to heart conversations and bonding and such as sheith," is important bc that's in this chapter (based on stuff my little sister and I did/do,,,) it's supposed to be soft and brotherly :))))))

Keith felt his ears heat up as he heard the pretty boy’s voice, he hoped to God that he wasn’t beet red. He inched his hand closer to the cursed bag of kazoos that brought him into this mess. ' _Why does Pidge even_ need _kazoos? She'll just shout until she loses her voice, anyway,'_ He reached for the packaging as he muttered out the closest thing to an apology he could manage.

“Uh, sorry about that. I’ll be taking these…” Keith reached for the purple kazoos that Pidge explicitly requested earlier that day, wincing as he realized the edge and harshness of his tone.

“Excuse me, mister, I’m pretty sure I touched these kazoos first”, Pretty Boy retorted as he nabbed the kazoos off the shelf, “These”, he waved the kazoos in front of Keith, “ are as good as mine, by the looks of it”.

Keith sensed a challenge. Shiro had always told him to choose his battles wisely, but Keith was wise enough to choose all the battles. He smirked and looked the pretty boy in the eye, “By the looks of it, we’re gonna tussle in the middle of the dollar store aisle”.

Pretty Boy chuckled. No, he didn’t chuckle, he chortled, “I’m sorry, did you say”, he had to pause for a breath, “tussle?”.  Keith frowned a little, “I’m buying these kazoos, and there’s nothing you can do about it”, Pretty Boy stopped and spotted Keith’s wrist, which was covered in wristbands, all rainbow covered and marked ‘gay’, “ Except maybe…”, he continued to pull a folded up flyer from his wallet.

‘ _Who even carries flyers in their wallets?_ ’, Keith thought to himself as he was handed a pink sheet of paper.

“...you should come to the youth pride fest for 13 to 19-year-old LGBTQ+ members and allies, it’s at 7 downtown. I would love to see you there,”.

Keith was convinced that this boy was the worst person to ever roam the earth, despite his clear skin, deep blue eyes, hair that practically called Keith to run his fingers through it, “uh, a- I,”.

Without a single thought, Pretty Boy slipped the kazoos from Keith’s hands and proclaimed as he strolled out of the aisle, “Yet another victory for Lance,” with a smug face.

Keith was left speechless and confused in the party favor section. Pretty Boy’s name was Lance, that was good to know. He continued to check out with his beads and made it to his car, still partly frazzled.

\--

Keith: I didnt get your purble kazoos but I did get green ones is that OK

Pidge ☆: didnt I ask for purple

Pidge ☆: this is fine

Pidge ☆: ill take grern

Pidge ☆: it’s okay

Pidge ☆: sorry for blowing up

Keith: It's OK

Keith: there were none left

Keith: I still got you kazoos, sorry they weren't purble :((

Keith: I’m gonna get ready

\---

Keith: hey do you know how to skate

Pidge ☆: like,,,, roller skate or????

Keith: yeah

Pidge ☆: I can bring matts old ones if tahts what youre asking

Pidge ☆: like skates I mean

Pidge ☆: yeah can you skate

Keith: I’ve never touched a skate in my life

Keith: lmao yikes

Pidge ☆: oh geez

\---

 

He sighed as he wrung out his hair and stepped out of the bathroom. Keith got chills simply by thinking about skating. He didn’t want to get caught up with Pretty Boy, Lance. He didn’t want to talk to him. He didn’t want to think about cheesy tropes like the lights in Lance’s eyes, the warmth of his skin. He didn't want corrupting thoughts like how they would dance together, lose their voices during karaoke matches,  exchange kisses, hugs, and gentle touches. None of that would ever happen, so why would it ever matter? 

Keith felt like a dozen bees were buzzing in his stomach as he slipped on a red and black flannel, put on the strings of plastic rainbow beads and replaced his pride wristbands. Pulling his hair into a loose ponytail, Keith silently hoped that the cheap necklaces were “festive” enough to meet Pidge’s standards. He looked at the analog Mothman clock hanging on his wall. Keith still had roughly an hour and thirty minutes to do absolutely nothing but sit on his bed and run an imaginary conversation between him and Lance 300 times.

“Hey, Keith?”, Keith jumped at Shiro’s knock on the door, “Are you ready for your kinda-sorta big night?”

He sat up, smoothing his bed sheets, "I was going to paint my nails, but I think that's a bit much," he nodded at the black nail polish on his nightstand. 

Shiro paused as he pursed his lips, "Can I... help you do paint your other hand? Like old times? You know, so you don't have ugly nails when you meet this boy and all."

"Uh, sure, Shiro," He smiled as he patted the spot on his bed next to him, shifting to sit cross-legged, "That would be nice."

“Thanks, Keith!” Shiro joined Keith on his bed and began painting his pointer finger. As he made his way to the thumb, being sure to blow on every nail before it, he asked, “Are you doing alright? Is there anything on your mind?” He had a sincere concern in his voice as he rested his free hand on Keith’s shoulder, the other still holding the painted hand.

“Yeah, I’m alright,”. Shiro frowned at him and raised an eyebrow, “Okay, fine. I had a run-in with roller skate parade boy at the dollar store, we kind of fought over kazoos,”Shiro fought to keep his laughter in, he failed and let out a small wheeze.

“Hopefully you can fix this whole kazoo dispute when you see him at this party, hm? It’ll be fun, you’ll be fine. Remember, if you need to leave early for any reason, just call me so I can be ready to fight whoever hurt you, okay?”. Keith laughed at Shiro as he was pulled into a hug, getting gently noogied until they heard the doorbell ring, “That’s Allura, you wanna head out?”

 “I still have twenty minutes until I need to go,” Keith grumbled as he fixed his hair, checking that none of his nails were smeared.

“Okay then,” Shiro opened the door, “We’ll just be sitting at the table being boring adults while we wait for Matt,”.

Allura, having no idea what situation she was pulled into, quickly thought of a response, “Yep, we’ll be smooching,”.

“Wait, whAT,” Shiro’s eyes widened as he felt the heat from his cheeks quickly move to his ears.

“Look, Shiro, as much as I would love to watch you and your girlfriend smash faces like an old couple, I have to supervise Pidge,” Keith rushed out the front door and got into the car, buckling in, and drove off downtown.

Pulling into the parking lot of the warehouse, Keith looked at the dash clock, 6:56. He was startled by the sudden vibration of his phone. Pidge.

 --

Pidge ☆: why isn’t your gay ass here yet

Pidge ☆: my gay ass has been waiting for five minues alreafy

Pidge ☆: got you a ticket and everything

Pidge ☆: h uurry up

Pidge ☆: you better be festive

Keith: I was driving

Keith: I have rainbow beads is that enough

\--

Keith slammed his car door and saw an upset Pidge waiting on the steps of the warehouse. She had definitely been better dressed than him, she wore a headband that held bobbling aliens colored with the asexual flag, her ‘lesbians for loch ness’ tank top, a trans flag armband, and had painted the asexual colors across her nails, all topped off with the complimentary pronouns glowstick provided by the local pride group. Hers was pink. As Keith approached, Pidge started tapping her foot.

“What the HELL, Keith. Yes, it starts at 7, but they opened the doors at 6:45! You’re not even festive! What’s this?”, she gestured to Keith’s entire body.

“Well--”

“No no no, it’s okay, I’ll fix you myself,” Pidge tugged Keith inside as she handed him an uncracked blue glowstick and pulled him into the family restroom, setting her duffle bag on the counter.

“Um, Pidge?”, Keith went to examine the assorted face paint and earrings, cracking the glowstick and putting it around his neck.

“Don’t touch my stuff, Keith,” she muttered, “Are those ear holes of yours closed yet?”

“I haven’t worn earrings since I was 13, Pidge, it was a bad phase.”

“But are they closed?”, Pidge asked with a soft edge in her voice, picking up a set of black heart earrings, “ Paint a rainbow on your face or something, your all black fashion choice will make you literally melt into the walls,”

“They’re not closed, I have red on," he saw the seriousness in Pidge's eyes as he quickly changed his response, "yes ma’am,” Keith popped the earrings in and attempted to paint a rainbow flag on his cheek. It smudged, but that’s what gave it character.

“Isn’t that much better? Now we kind of match,” Pidge shot Keith a small smile. Keith sighed and lightly tousled Pidge’s hair.

“C’mon, Pidge, it’s 7 o’clock, are you going to teach me to skate or not?”

Pidge grinned from ear to ear as she swung her bag over her shoulder, swinging Matt’s old pair of skates at Keith as they stepped onto the floor, “Let’s go, fresh meat, lace up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy cow I actually uploaded another chapter??? I haven't had this much motivation in a loNG time. Thank you all so much for the nice comments!!! Omf, I didn't think anyone would actually read it hha
> 
> beep beep check me out on tumblr at https://r0pliix.tumblr.com/ (r0pliix)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Klance is actually in this chapter!! Wow!! I had to develop the story a little before I had Keith and Lance meet, zoINKS sorry about that. For those of you that have actually read up to this part through all the terrible writing, I love and appreciate you, thank you! keep chugging along in life :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's an update a day early bc??? I'm volunteering at a camp tomorrow and won't have Wi-Fi until I get back on Tuesday, and then I have to help with the day camp the rest of the week uhhhh but here's an update yikes,,, I feel like the quality went down,,, I'm so sorry y'all

“Keith, we’re not even out of the bathroom hallway and you’ve already fallen six whole times,” Pidge struggled to pull her friend up from the floor that he was now sprawled out on, long legs stuck out in awkward positions. She had not one idea in the slightest in how to help Keith.

“Look, I’m fine, alright?” He scraped himself off of the ground and stand, depending on Pidge for support.

“Keith, I know trying to skate can be a little overwhelming the first few times, especially when you start on tile or hardwood instead of carpet. This whole balance thing is tricky, I get it. If you need to take a break, just let me know-”.

Keith scoffed, “Tricky? Ha, ple-AACK,” Before he knew it, Keith was clinging to the wall and attempting to shuffle out of the bathroom wing. 

“Keith, we’re going to miss the entire party if you don’t let me help you! You gotta meet new people! It’s not going to get any easier, the floor is concrete throughout the building. Just let me pull you around”. She extended a hand to Keith, who hesitantly took it after an overdramatic sigh.

As Pidge grabbed Keith’s hand with a firm grip, she smirked as she rocketed down the hall and into the lobby of the warehouse. She laughed every time he would squeak or gasp at every sharp turn. As they neared the doors of the branch where the party was held, Keith pushed Pidge’s hand away. She snorted as Keith sharply inhaled while he rolled backward. He stomped toward the door, being sure not to roll too quickly, and pushed open the door, releasing a wave of booming dance music and body heat. He shuffled into the room, staying close to the walls, Pidge standing as a back spotter. 

“Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this…” Keith tried to come off the wall into a more open area. He cautiously skated to the refreshments table. 

Pidge raised one eyebrow, following close behind, “Are you sure? I  _ am _ seeing improvement, but are you ready to go on your own? I mean, I wouldn’t leave you anyway. We don’t really know anybody else”.

“Well, if that’s the case,” he turned to Pidge, “Isn’t the point to meet new people? Just like you keep saying?”

“I mean, yeah,” She paused, “but you’re not exactly the kind of person that would branch out and talk to  people.”

Keith sighed, “That’s true, and there’s not even any service in here… remind me why I agreed to come?”

Pidge laughed as she pushed Keith, “Because you love me, and you’re alone.”

“C’mon Pidge, if we’re not going to talk to people, and you have no Wi-Fi, what’s the point?”

“One, to have a good time, two, to meet new people, and three, to get you a boyfriend or  _ something  _  so when I’m busy, you have another person to hang out with.”

“What?! Since when did me agreeing to supervise you have anything to do with my relationship status?” Keith poured himself a cup of lemonade in an attempt to cool down his reddening face. 

“Since you spam me over the weekends saying you have no friends, that’s ‘since when’.”

Keith exhaled, “Fine, fine, I get it,” he scanned the crowd as he searched for a familiar face. He saw no one, not even a classmate from the recently ended school year, until, “Oh SHIT, Pidge hide me,” he wheezed as he pulled Pidge in front of himself.

“Wh-? Keith! You better watch your damn mouth!  And honestly, what will I hide? Your legs? What’s so important that you had to-,” she scanned the crowd in the general direction that Keith was staring, “ohhh…looks like Keith-y’s got the hots for skater boy over there.”

“Pidge I do NOT, shhhhUT UP,” he felt his face heat up, even more than it had in the dollar store.

“Is this why you wanted to learn how to skate so badly? To impress the boy?”

“Yes,” he quietly grumbled out, “but look! He’s already talking with another guy, I can’t just step in there and say, hey y’all, let’s be friends!”

“Sure you can! You’ve done it before, and the Keith I know always takes what’s his, unless the Keith I know has turned into a smitten kitten or some bullshit.”

“Pidge I’m serious, shut up,” he turned and saw the boy that was talking to Lance whisper something to him, Keith turned away after having a close encounter of eye-contact with Lance, “Pidgethey’rewhisperingaboutusweneedtogorightnow”. 

“I really doubt they’re talking about you,”

“No you don’t understand, the other guy in the pan shirt looked in our direction and then Lance looked--”

“So his name is Lance, huh?” she smirked and looked at Keith, “If you know his name, why don’t you just call him over?”

“Because he doesn’t know mine and that would be weird!” he let his voice crack for a second, “I know I’m usually blunt but you can’t just-”

“And why not? You’ve done it plenty of times before!”

Keith exhaled as he waddled on his skates to the bench against the wall. He started, “It’s all about first impressions,”

“This is  _ so _ unlike you, but okay.”

* * *

 

“Hey, Lance,”

Lance stood up from retying his orange-wheeled, bisexual flag painted skates, “Yeah, Hunk?” He turned to face his friend, who was wearing a white pocket-front shirt with the pansexual flag on the pocket.

“Don’t look now, but the boy in that corner might be looking at you, or maybe it’s just my imagination? But he was definitely looking in this direction,” 

Lance turned to look, “That boy looks familiar...I think I ran into him at the dollar store?”

Hunk grabbed Lance by the shoulders and turned him around, “Didn’t I say not to look now? Now he thinks we’re talking about him and his short friend!” Hunk let out a heavy sigh as he let his hands slide off of Lance’s shoulders.

“Look, it was only a second of eye contact, we’re fine-”

“You made  _ eye contact?  _ You’re kidding, right?” Hunk pinched the bridge of his nose, “Look! He’s going to sit down with his short friend! You probably scared him off!”

“Pfff, greasy-haired grunge boy? Scared of me? He probably eats emo music for breakfast, I couldn’t scare him.”

“Don’t judge a book by their cover, Lance! Y’know, I bet if you go over and talk to him, you know what I bet? I bet I’m right. I bet you overwhelmed him.”

Lance scoffed, “You’re probably right. You know why? Because you're always right, Hunk. Always.” The boys laughed at each other as Lance patted Hunks shoulder.  

“Now go over there and apologize to him, Lance.”

“Fine, fine,” As he skated away he turned and called back, “you’ll owe me for this!!”

 

Keith inhaled as he stood up, wobbling only a little. Pidge offered assistance, only to be declined. As he slowly rose from the bench, he caught a glimpse of Lance skating toward him. Only, he wasn’t skating toward him exactly, he was skating backward. ‘This can’t end well, this won’t even  _ start _ well,’ he thought as he groaned. He looked down at Pidge with a frown, only to be greeted with the wide grin that spread across her face. As she stepped behind him, his eyes widened in the realization of what Pidge was about to do, “You better not, you gremlin child,”

“And what if I did? You’d be able to socialize, you’d actually have a chance with this boy you’ve been staring at for the whole time we’ve been here, maybe even the whole day? Think of all the good that’ll come to you, rather than the fact that you might fall on your ass.”

“That’s true… wait FALL ON MY ASS, PIDGE--”, Keith had already been lightly shoved into the crowd, and though he didn’t get very far, Pidge still laughed at him with words of encouragement. 

“You’re doing great! Just a few more steps!”

Keith exhaled through his nose, still a little upset, as he made his way through the crowds. Pushing his bangs out of his eyes, he slowly shifted his gaze from his feet to the view in front of him, only to see Lance turning around, not slowing down, not in the slightest. As Lance focused on where he was headed, his breath hitched for a split second. Not only was he headed toward greasy-haired grunge boy, but he was headed there at a rate that was way too fast to slow down--he was going to crash right into greasy-haired grunge boy. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the writing quality for this chapter and the last chapter kind of went down??? Yikes,,, sorry about that,,, I made sure to make it at least 1,000 words bc otherwise, I feel like it's too short for my personal standards Uhm,,, but???? there's more content??? wow!!

Lance was headed right for him, no signs of stopping or slowing. He was going to crash into greasy-haired grunge boy, so much for a good impression. He had no one to blame but himself; at least greasy-haired grunge boy had a sharp jawline. Lance focused on the angle of grunge boy’s jawline, it was cleaner than his pink and blue highlight. His eyes shifted, following past the jawline up to the deep violet of his eyes. They were hypnotizing, almost, reflecting the violet lights that danced to the fading chorus of ABBA’s  _ Dancing Queen.  _ But, violet-eyed grunge boy wasn’t attractive, of course not! He just had attractive features and a nice sounding voice with the slightest growl to it; he wasn’t attractive, though.

Keith was done for. He was going to die to the sound of ABBA’s _ Dancing Queen _ , purple lights blinding him. He looked down at his skates, of course, they were untied. Why didn’t he tie them like Pidge had suggested? He was being stupid, just like he was being stupid about the rollerskates. It was a dumb idea for a dumb fantasy. Before he could turn around and before he could even look up, he heard what sounded like Lance; he couldn’t be sure, he had only held a brief conversation with Lance a few hours prior.

Lance, gliding through groups of people, frequently apologizing, finally made it across the floor, “Oh Christ--”

Lance crashed into Keith, they were a mess of limbs and laces, both falling against the wall, both trying not to trip over one another. Lance’s hands slammed against the wall near Keith’s head, chest in, rear out, legs spread; Keith felt the heat from his ears to his collarbone rise, he was sure he was the same shade as the flannel tied around his waist.

    “That’s one way to make an entrance,” Lance shot a smirk at the shaky boy in front of him as he stood up and readjusted himself. Keith gave him an unintentional full body scan as he felt his hands trembling, standing at a loss for words and a near loss of balance, “Hey, I’m sorry about earlier today, you were at the dollar store, right?” He extended a hand in an attempt to help him regain balance.

The attempt to regain balance wasn’t enough, Keith rolled forward and slipped on his laces. Tripping into Lance’s arms as ungracefully as possible, Keith found the words as they stumbled out, “Uh, yeah, I uh, yeah I was at the dollar store,” he winced at his voice crack, “Lance, right?” he stuttered as he was pulled up by Lance, hands on his arms, focusing on not falling. He looked up to be met by the same pair of deep sapphire colored eyes that made him lose his voice at their first unofficial meeting.

“Yeah, the name’s Lance,” he started as he helped Keith stand, “and you--?”

“Oh! Uh, right! Keith, I’m uh, I’m Keith,” his face started to cool off, that is until he heard a whistle followed by a snicker and a hush from one corner of the room, of course, it was Pidge.

“It’s nice to finally meet you formally, Keith,” Lance looked around to find Hunk. When he met his face, all he saw was a frown and a raised eyebrow, “Oh yikes, uh, my friend over there, the big guy in the pan flag?” He gestured in Hunk’s direction, “he says that he’s suffering from second-hand embarrassment because of me,” Lance snickered. 

“But, why would he be embarrassed?” Keith tripped on his words more than he should have, legs trembling beneath him, still holding Lance’s arms for balance.

“Isn’t it obvious? His wonderfully handsome and terribly charming best friend, that’s me, made a fool of himself in a public setting, again!” he laughed, and there was that perfectly smooth laugh. The laugh to stop all babies from crying, all babies except Keith. 

“Oh, is that the kazoos or just now?”

“Keith my dear it’s  _ both _ , and probably much more today to be completely honest. Were you at the parade today?” Keith nodded as he started to shift, letting go of one of Lance’s arms. He head to the other corner of the room, a more secluded area so he wouldn’t call any more attention to himself if he fell again, “Yeah, y’see? Here I was at the parade, trying to talk to all sorts of people! I think I actually saw you there.”

There was a pause. This pause was the kind of pause that’s as painful as swallowing rocks; it felt like the words were trapped in Keith’s throat again, desperately trying to escape. They stood in silence, left only with the sound of the Lucian remix of TRNDSTTR, still holding each other. Both knew they should let go, but neither wanted to. Keith thought through possible scenarios and brought out the most solid response he could think of. Everything he  _ wanted  _ to say was too daring. He finally decided to spit something out, “How long have you been skating?”.

Lance’s eyes lit up at the spur of a conversation, “About ten years actually, so maybe since I was six? It seems like you haven’t been skating that long,” he stopped to snicker, “That or my good looks have scared off your ability to skate,” the biggest, most flirty grin spread from ear to ear.

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Keith sighed under his breath. Apparently, this proclamation wasn’t as quiet as he intended.

“Wait, for real?” his eyes widened as his eyebrows raised, he let his grip on Keith’s shaky arm loosen more.

“Waitwaitwait that’s, that’s not what I meant, that's --” he let go of Lance’s arm to push away his bangs. Overheating, he felt his ankles shaking in the skates, falling back onto Lance for support.

“Then what  _ did _ you mean, mister mullet head?” he smirked as he watched something in Keith switch on, “Are you saying I’m not attractive?”

Keith blinked as he shook his head, “When did I say you were attractive? I never said _anything_ about that! I-- If anything, I’m prettier than you!” Keith was shutting down, his thoughts were all jumbled, he was short of breath, he was making a fool of himself. He told himself in sixth grade, he would never have another crush; here he was again at square one. 

“That can be argued, but I’d rather not,” he paused, “ Because it’s true.”

Keith stood, confused, “Wait, what?”

Lance sighed, “You’re prettier than me, and I accept that.”

“Wait,  _ what?” _

He laughed at his confusion, “Don't deny it, despite the mullet, your jawline is much sharper than mine.”

“Liar, yours is obviously nicer? And your eyes? _ Much nicer? _ ”

“Hah, false! My eyes don’t match the lights!”

“You DINGUS! My eyes don’t either! Mine are a deep and dead amethyst and the lights are more of an average purple, thank you. But yours, on the other hand, yours match every beat of the song, just like these lights! They show life and happiness, show personality and passion, just like these damn lights. Think before you talk about eyes like that.” He exhaled, did he just say that? He just said what was stuck in his throat, the stupid blurb about how stupidly pretty Lance’s eyes were. Thank God he didn’t start on his hair.

“That was a mouthful,” Lance wasn’t one to get flustered, but no one, not even his mother, had described his eyes like that. Yes, she had said they were lovely and unique like him, but not with some sort of fiery passion like this guy did.

“Just,” he sighed, distraught, “Just forget it, you’ve probably heard stuff like that thousands of times, just forget it.”

“No, no, no! This time it was different! Oh Christ that sounded bad, but no! Like, yeah, my mom had said sweet stuff about me because, ya know, she’s my mom, but you? You’re not my mom, you had no obligation to say that, you were way too jumpy to be paid to say it...” Lance smiled as he realized this boy’s crush, he realized he could return his feelings. He didn’t want to return them yet, he was going to play hard to get, and terribly hard to get, at that.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it,,, they're fighting /and/ flirting, all while in a corner of a loud party, and??? they're cradling each other while they're doing it???? on //skates//?? um???? and!!! heckin, whenever I talk about lance's voice and how Keith is just shaken like,,, honestly pulling from my own life when I met Jeremy Shada at comic con bc HHHHHHH his voice his face hIS EYES HIS HECKIN EYES IM CRYING JUST TYPING THESE NOTES it's just hhhhhHH he's prettier irl like YOINKS I'm a starstruck pleb
> 
> (but no I didn't say any of this garbage Keith blurted hAH no way are you kidding me pff)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man, oh man I've just been lacking in motivation to do anything tbh oi I feel so bad!! I missed an update on Monday and now I'm missing a Wednesday one and hhhhhhh I hope y'all can forgive me oh geez
> 
> quick update!!! there won't be the promised amount of steam??? so um,,, I'm also sorry about that but like I couldn't get it to the point where it wouldn't feel rushed hhhhh I'm really sorry you guys
> 
> BUT THERE IS SMOOCHING AND I DID SAY THAT THAT WOULD BE IN HERE SO UM 1/2 OF THE PROMISE WITHHELD UHHHHHH

  **Chapter 5**

Skating out of the corner, the two boys began conversing. From a distance, Pidge and Hunk watched the two of them talk, laugh, and make unintentional heart eyes at each other. Leaning her shoulder against the wall opposite of the love stricken dinguses.

“Are you seeing this, man? They’re totally hitting it off,” Pidge told Hunk, pushing her glasses up.

“Yeah, they’re a match made in heaven, if matchmaking in heaven includes crashing into each other and, arguing over kazoos? Do you know what the deal was about kazoos was?”

“They argued about kazoos? Geez, they’re like an old married couple already,” Pidge laughed, “I’m Katie, you can call me Pidge.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Hunk.”

“The loser in the red is Keith,” she pointed at Keith, who was now laughing at Lance, who had frosting on his nose.

“The loser talking to your loser is Lance,” Hunk laughed, “They may be losers, but they’re all of our losers.”

“That’s very true,” Pidge whipped around when she heard Keith’s cackling laughter, “Hunk, did you see that? Keith is _really_ happy, he’s usually broody and emo,” she had to hold in a laugh, “The only time he’s like this is when I let him win at Wii bowling or something big like that.”

Hunk nodded, “Lance is always smiling and laughing, but look how big his smile is! Holy cow, Pidge, you know what this means.”

“I already know they’re in love, Hunk,” she patted his arm, “How much do you bet we can get them to smooch by the end of the night?”

“Woah, woah, woah, Pidge. Stuff like this can’t be rushed! It has to come naturally.”

“Naturally as in pushing them into each other again or…?”

“No, no, that’s too cliche…but I’m betting the two bucks I have in my pocket that they’ll do it on their own,” Hunk rubbed his chin, brainstorming.

As they sat thinking, they hadn’t noticed the two boys sneaking off. To where? They didn’t know, but two dollars was on the line.

“Have you ever gone to a pride party before? You seem out of your element,” Lance commented, taking Keith’s hand and starting to skate backward through the crowd. The younger groups had started going home as the time neared 9 PM, the floor was much less crowded.

“I haven’t, but um,” Keith focused on the warmth of Lance’s hands intertwined with his, “The decorations are really nice?” he felt his heart melt at the sound of Lance’s laughter, “It’s really pretty and just the right amount of gay.”

“Like you?” he grinned.

“Did you just flirt with me?” Keith laughed as they made their way out the doors to a ramp.

“We kind of have been all night, but yes, you could call it that, pretty boy.”

Keith smiled at that remark and pushed his bangs out of his eyes, “Aw, that’s sweet, but where exactly are we going?”

“I was planning on going to the upper level where the view is kind of pretty but I mean, if you don’t want to,” Lance slowed down.

“No, no, it’s something new for me to experience! That, and it sounds like a Disney channel original movie,” They chuckled as they continued up the ramp into the old elevator.

The elevator ride felt longer than it should have. The exchange of short and sweet glances caused awkward giggling. Lance had said he wasn't going to let this boy break down his walls; those walls were far beyond rubble now. Their hands were like magnets with opposite charges, their hands continued to brush up against one another’s until they gave in. The calloused palm of Keith’s hand softly brushed the back of Lance’s hand. Without looking, Lance began to gently hold Keith’s hand, thumb swirling around his palm. Keith felt shivers run down his neck, gripping Lance’s hand. They exchanged glances, Lance had softly pursed lips.

“Here, right now we’re holding hands pancake style, you see?” He held up their hands, palms flat against one another’s. Keith nodded gently, stars in his eyes. Lance started with a tranquil tone, “Well, the pancake is more of a, I don’t know, it’s kind of nice for a grandma or other family members,” Keith’s breath hitched as Lance intertwined his fingers with his own, “This here, this is waffle style. It’s more… exclusive, maybe? Especially for, ya know, someone you really care for, someone like, I don’t know,” he paused, “someone like you,” they shared soft smiles while the elevator came to a stop.

Pushing the gate open and stepping out of the elevator, they came to a stop on the fire escape balcony of the warehouse. Leaning on the railing with one arm, Lance pulled Keith forward. Eyes wide, Keith took in the skyline of their town, he had never seen downtown so bright. While they lived in a small town, it was still so astounding seeing it from an angle like this outside of a parking garage. He took in the sounds of the city, soft whirring of air conditioners,  the thrum of late traffic, the faint beat of the music from the floor just below them.

The beginning chords of _Weak_ by AJR began to linger, along with the sound of teens trying to hit the high notes in the chorus. Snickering at the failed singers, fingers still woven together, they stood silent. Tension held in the air like a rubber band on the verge of snapping, both boys choking on what they wanted to say, confess, or do. They both had barely met earlier that day, they both were afraid to break any fragile bond they thought they had with each other. Keith yawned, relaxing and leaning his head on Lance. His eyes widened at the touch of Keith’s head to his shoulder. Easing himself into this, Lance rested his head on Keith’s, his hair soft and warm. It wasn’t as greasy as it looked in the previous lighting.

Lance sighed, “Y’know what, Keith?”

“No, I don’t know what, Lance.”

“Let me,” he inhaled deeply, exhaling with his words, “Let me finish.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I just--” he felt his ears heat up on Lance’s shirt.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright,” Lance felt like his mother, warm and comforting, “It’s just that, you were kind of a red flag at the parade, I told myself I wouldn’t get involved with you. I told myself, I told myself that if you were the one to break my heart, I probably wouldn’t be able to pick myself up. You’re just, you just--”

“No, no, I get it, I felt the same way about you,” he used the softest voice he could without whispering, “It’s just, it’s a temptation. It’s bad for me, but I can’t help myself around you, it’s like things in my brain get jumbled up and I can't function like a normal person. It’s stupid, I’m stupid, I--”

“Hey, hey,” he began to stroke Keith’s hair, “You’re not stupid, you’re human, it’s perfectly normal.”

“But how can you say that?” He began to tear up, not understanding why, “How can you, how can you say that,  I’m not stupid, that I’m just a normal kid, just like that? We don’t even know eachother that well,” he started choking on his words, tripping on his thoughts, “Sure, we had a good two and a half hours together. We got to know each other over a party, A _party_ Lance. You probably have better friends, you have much higher standards, I can’t make that standard,” his voice began cracking on nearly every other word. What was he saying? Keith lost control of what came out of his mouth and what he kept in.

“Keith, Keith look at me,” Lance stroked Keith’s hair, making it down to his cheek, following his jawline, “If you say you don’t know me that well, then how can you assume what standards I have?” He wiped the tears from Keith’s cheek, “I _know_ we don’t know eachother that well. I _know_ it wasn’t a long amount of time. But I also know that I like you. I like you, a lot, Keith. A lot. I don’t know if it’s just a mutual crush, but I do know that we share the same, uh, level of ‘like’ for each other. Unless I’m wrong, then disregard everything I just said.”

Keith laughed softly through his tears, hiccupping gently , “I _do_ like you, Lance. Even I could see that, and I may be the most oblivious person on this planet.”

The boys stood laughing at themselves and at each other. They laughed at their abrupt confessions, they laughed at their mutual feelings, they laughed at their deliriously sleepy states. Both hands weaving together once more, they stood, leaning against each other. Keith’s head over Lance's shoulder. They swayed slowly on the balcony to the quiet beat of _Vanilla Twilight_ by Owl City as the party slowed down. It was nearing 10 PM.

Moving so their foreheads touched, they continued to sway; they exchanged the body heat that they didn’t lose to the cooling breeze of the night. Fingers tangled with one another’s, cheeks warm, noses brushing. Neither wanted to disturb the peace of this moment, perfect and almost frozen in time.

They slowly gravitated together, Lance tilting his head in, noses shifting past one another. Keith’s eyes followed from Lance’s sapphire eyes to his lips, dropping his eyes closed. He felt their hands unclasp, Lance’s hand finding its way to his cheek. He leaned into the touch, letting his own hands move to the soft dark brown hair he’d been wanting to touch since he first saw him. They leaned into the kiss, only gently bumping foreheads once or twice, eyelashes brushing cheeks, hands shifting to a more comfortable place. Keith’s remained on Lance’s back, one hand petting fingers through the wavy curls of his dark brown hair. Lance’s arms hung over Keith’s shoulders casually, slowly moving to hold Keith. The boys let their lips touch, mouths closed, Keith tense. The contact of the kiss was innocent and gentle, both trying not to violate the other’s comfort. They stood quietly, only the lingering city sounds and heartbeats to accompany the muffled sound of _Hold Each Other_ by A Great Big World. Keith was cautious about his movements, he relaxed into the curl of Lance’s lips, feeling a delicate smile form against his own chapped lips. Keith smiled into the kiss, causing the boys to snicker, breaking off from the kiss slowly and sweetly. They slowed to a stop on their infectious laughter and gazed into each other’s eyes, they sported blushing cheeks and big smiles. Going back in for a hug, they broke into laughter once more.

“That was, amazing,” Keith had been smiling ear to ear.

“Oh my _God_ I thought I’d be clinging to Hunk all night making indirect statements and trying to catch your attention but, but you, you’re the one who caught _my_ attention,” he laughed into Keith's shoulder until he came to a realization, “Hunk. Hunk and your small friend we left them I’m such a bad friend oh God--”

“ _You’re_ a bad friend? I left my 14-year-old family friend alone downstairs! At least Hunk can handle himself, Oh God, Matt, and Shiro are gonna kill me,” he patted his pockets for his phone, “I didn’t have my ringer on all night, it’s 10:13, Pidge was expected home by 10, oh geez…”

“Hey, hey, it’ll be alright! It was my fault, it’s all my fault, we should go, I’m so sorry, Keith,” Lance pulled Keith through the loft back into the elevator, pulling the gate closed.

Keith panicked as he looked through his missed calls and messages. Two missed calls from Matt, five missed calls from Shiro, eight unread messages from various contacts. He pulled up Pidge’s conversation as the elevator landed on the ground floor. He pressed call on her contact.

It rang once. It rang twice. The third ring began, she picked up, “Pidge? Pidge! Are you alright? Oh Jesus Christ, I’m so sorry for leaving you I swear I’ll make it up to you--”

“Keith? It’s already 10:17, where are you?”she was struggling to shout over the few groups of people that were still at the party.

“Right now I’m in the lobby, where are you? I’m so sorry I left you for almost three hours, my poor kiddo! Do you have a friend with you? I’m such a bad chaperone.”

“I have Hunk, he’s Lance’s friend? I found out he loves engineering and cooking! Guess who found a friend? I did! I’m on the couch in the group room, where the party is? It’s against the wall near the door. They’re gonna play the final song, Keith, hurry up!”

Lance looked as equally concerned as Keith did before finding where Pidge was, “So is your short friend okay?”

“Yeah, Pidge is okay. She’s with Hunk on the couch near the door, I guess they’re pretty good friends now, so that’s good!”

The boys made their way to the door, stepping into the party environment once more for the final song, the final dance of that pride month. Joining Pidge and Hunk on the couch, they were handed their shoes. Pidge, Lance, and Keith changed back into their sneakers as Hunk readjusted his headband and stretched. They heard the first word of the song and instantly stood up, their inner sparks relit as if they weren’t as tired as they were a few moments prior.

“I’m coming out, I want the world to know,” Lance started.

“I gotta let it show! I’m coming out,” he laughed as he took Lance's hands. They danced like an old married couple, holding hands, swaying to the instrumentals, occasionally stepping on each other’s feet.

“Aww Hunk! Our little boys have sprouted into bigger little boys,” Pidge nudged Hunk, a smile spread across her face.

“We still don’t know who won the bet,” Hunk took the two dollars from his phone case.

“Probably me, judging how awkwardly they’re dancing,” she paused to scan their body language, “Wait, that type of dance is normal for Keith.”

“We don’t know! We need to know,” Hunk and Pidge stood on the sidelines, watching them have a good time together.

“Look, Hunk, I doubt they’re gonna kiss during the remaining 3 minutes and 23 seconds of this song, just call it qui--” she stopped with eyes wide and watched as Keith and Lance eskimo kissed, leaving a gentle peck on each other’s lips.

“Looks like someone owes me two bucks,” he laughed triumphantly as he nudged Pidge back. She grumbled as she took two dollars from her wallet and handed them to Hunk, “May I have this 1 minute and 10 seconds of dance?”

Pidge chortled as she took Hunk’s hand, “My gay ass accepts.”

The four of them danced until the song broke into a fade, leaving the warehouse with good memories, phone numbers, and new friends.

 

_I'm spreadin' love_

_There's no need to fear_

_And I just feel so glad_

_Every time I hear_

_I'm coming out_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think,,,, I think this is the last chapter?? I hope that's okay. I might make an epilog with Shiro and Pidge confronting Keith or like,,, insights on Shiro, Matt, and Allura's game night?? That might be fun. Should I do that or??
> 
> I'm kind of happy with the ending even though it was unsatisfactory :'))))) but?? I'm going to update my hance fic (like you lots) very soon! Uhh, feel free to comment more stuff you'd like to see from me? I need to practice writing more bc tbh I really suck at it :)!!


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